Excelsior's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Carthage, Tunisia
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Places visited in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
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Places visited in Haiti
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Places visited in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
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Palermo, Italy

Porta Nuova

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.
Palermo, Italy

La Zisa

This Arabesque Italian castle was built with a primitive, if ingenious, air-conditioning system.
Cefalù, Italy

Lavatoio Medievale

A medieval wash house where people washed clothes in a river allegedly formed by the tears of a mourning nymph.
Salerno, Italy

Salerno Medieval Aqueduct

According to the legend, this structure was built in a single night with the help of the devil.
Pompeii, Italy

Plaster Citizens of Pompeii

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.
Pompeii, Italy

The Brothels of Pompeii

Erotic art covers the walls of the largest ancient pleasure palace.
Pompeii, Italy

Stone Phalluses of Pompeii

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.
Pompeii, Italy

Thermopolia of Pompeii

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.
Pompeii, Italy

Villa dei Misteri

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.
Naples, Italy

Cavalli di Bronzo

These bronze horses on the gates of the Royal Palace of Naples were a gift from a Russian tsar.
Naples, Italy

Porta Nolana

This medieval city gate is now a blend of the past and the modern world.
Naples, Italy

Funicolare Centrale

In a city that boasts four separate inclined cable railways, this is one of the busiest funicular lines in the world.
Florence, Italy

Fresco of John Hawkwood

In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.
Florence, Italy

Statue of Fernando I

A plaque on the base of this statue holds a bewitching design.
Florence, Italy

Bronze Replica of Michelangelo’s David

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.
Florence, Italy

Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents)

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.
Florence, Italy

Medici Hall of Maps (Sala delle Carte Geografiche)

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.
Florence, Italy

Buontalenti Grotta

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.
San Marino, San Marino

Montale

The smaller of the three towers of San Marino is a former prison inaccessible from the ground level.
Rimini, Italy

Ponte di Tiberio (Bridge of Tiberius)

This 2,000-year-old Doric bridge is still open to pedestrian traffic to this day.
Ravenna, Italy

Baptistery of Neon

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung reported a paranormal experience after visiting this mosaic-lined Roman baptistry.
Ravenna, Italy

Dante's Tomb

Italian poet Dante Alighieri is entombed in this small mausoleum in Ravenna, and his hometown of Florence has never been too happy about it.
Ravenna, Italy

Arian Baptistry

A medieval, mosaic-lined baptistry built by a heretical Christian sect.
Ravenna, Italy

Basilica of San Vitale

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.